Sukta 65
Sukta 1.65
Gautama Rāhūgaṇa (traditional attribution for RV 1.65)
Agni (probable; RV 1.65 is an Agni hymn in the standard Anukramaṇī tradition)
Gāyatrī/Anuṣṭubh uncertain from single pāda excerpt; full hymn needed for secure meter
RV 1.65 praises Agni as the hidden yet discoverable flame—tracked like prey in a cave—who is yoked by prayer and bears offerings to the gods. The hymn celebrates his irresistible surge (like a released steed or a flooding river) and portrays him as a far-shining knower, “born of ṛta,” guiding worship from obscurity to radiant order.
Mantras
Mantra 1
पश्वा न तायुं गुहा चतन्तं नमो युजानं नमो वहन्तम् ॥
जैसे कोई जानवर अपना शिकार ढूंढता है, छुप के घरों में नज़र डालता है, वैसे ही वो भी ढूंढता है। जो लोग शक्ति को जोड़ते हैं और जो लोग भावना ले कर आते हैं, उन सब को हम नमस्ते करते हैं।
Mantra 2
सजोषा धीराः पदैरनु ग्मन्नुप त्वा सीदन्विश्वे यजत्राः ॥
रिशि एक साथ चले और पास आए। यह सब लोग हवनकुंड के पास बैठते हैं। वो अग्नि के आस पास इकट्ठे हो जाते हैं।
Mantra 3
ऋतस्य देवा अनु व्रता गुर्भुवत्परिष्टिर्द्यौर्न भूम ॥
देवी-देवता भी किसी नियम से चलते हैं। उनका नियम आसमान और धरती की तरह पक्का है। यह नियम दुनिया को सही रखता है।
Mantra 4
वर्धन्तीमापः पन्वा सुशिश्विमृतस्य योना गर्भे सुजातम् ॥
पानी इसको बड़ा करता है। यह पानी में पैदा होता है और आगे बढ़ता है। यह सच्चाई के घर में रहता है।
Mantra 5
पुष्टिर्न रण्वा क्षितिर्न पृथ्वी गिरिर्न भुज्म क्षोदो न शम्भु ॥
यह खाना जैसा है जो खुश करे। धरती जैसा पक्का है। पहाड़ जैसा बड़ा है और नदी जैसा बहता है। यह सबको सही रखता है।
Mantra 6
अत्यो नाज्मन्त्सर्गप्रतक्तः सिन्धुर्न क्षोदः क ईं वराते ॥
जैसे घोड़ा दौड़ में निकल जाए। जैसे नदी में पानी भर के आए। जब यह आगे बढ़ता है तो कौन रोक सकता है?
Mantra 7
जामिः सिन्धूनां भ्रातेव स्वस्रामिभ्यान्न राजा वनान्यत्ति ॥
अग्नि नदियों का रिश्तेदार है, जैसे भाई अपनी बहन का होता है। वो बड़े-बड़े लोगों में घूमता है। राजा की तरह वो जंगल अपने काम में ले लेता है। यह धरती की सारी ग्रोथ उसकी है।
Mantra 8
यद्वातजूतो वना व्यस्थादग्निर्ह दाति रोमा पृथिव्याः ॥
जब हवा चलती है और अग्नि जंगल में फैलता है, तब धरती का रोम खड़ा हो जाता है। मतलब धरती जैसे जाग उठती है। अग्नि धरती को साफ साफ महसूस कराता है।
Mantra 9
श्वसित्यप्सु हंसो न सीदन्क्रत्वा चेतिष्ठो विशामुषर्भुत् ॥
वो पानी में साँस लेता है, जैसे हंस वहाँ बैठता है। उसकी समझ बहुत तेज़ है, वो सबसे ज़्यादा जागता हुआ है। वो लोगों के लिए सुबह लाता है।
Mantra 10
सोमो न वेधा ऋतप्रजातः पशुर्न शिश्वा विभुर्दूरेभाः ॥
अग्नि सोम जैसा है, जो सब जानता है और बनाता है। वो सच से पैदा हुआ है। वो छोटा जानवर जैसा है, पर बहुत दूर तक चमकता है। वो सचाई की ताकत है।
Inside Sukta 65
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Agni is approached with reverence as a hidden, searching presence—tracked in the secret place like prey in a cave—worthy of repeated homage.
- Development
Agni is depicted as the one who yokes energies and bears offerings; imagery intensifies with speed and unstoppable motion, showing his divine power once released.
- Climax
The hymn reaches a peak in portraying Agni’s unrestrainable rush—like a racing steed and a flooding river—signaling the triumphant ascent of the sacrifice.
- Where it settles
Agni is affirmed as a knower and maker, “ṛta-born,” far-shining and wide in being, establishing the worshipper in truth-order and effective offering.
The deity: Agni
- In the VedaAgni is the radiant fire-principle: kindled by humans yet divine, hidden in wood and in the “cave,” awakening as an all-seeing guest and priest who carries homage and offerings.
- Cosmic functionMediator between worlds—conveying offerings to the devas, sustaining sacrifice, and upholding ṛta by transforming matter into luminous, ascending power.
- Inner significanceThe awakened will and discernment (inner flame) that searches within obscurity, gathers scattered energies, and propels the seeker toward truth-aligned action and clarity.
The seer
- Gautama RāhūgaṇaGautama gotra; connected in later tradition with the Rāhūgaṇa line · A Gautama seer associated with early Agni praise, emphasizing Agni as the seeker-revealer in hidden places and as the carrier of worship into the realm of ṛta.
Famous verses
paśvā na tāyuṃ guhā catantam
sindhur na kṣodaḥ ka īṃ varāte
ṛtaprajātaḥ
Attributes of the deity
- Hotṛ (sacrificial priest) and messenger
- Hidden/secret presence that can be discovered
- Irresistible force when kindled (swift, surging)
- Bearer of offerings and prayers
- Born of ṛta (truth-order), far-shining
Also by this seer
- Gautama-family (Gautamāḥ) hymns in the Rigveda are broadly associated with Mandala 1 Agni and allied deities in later Anukramaṇī traditions
- Themes shared with other early Agni hymns: Agni as messenger (dūta), priest (hotṛ), and light that discloses the path of ṛta
The rite, step by step
- Prepare the altar/hearth and arrange kindling (samidh) with purification (ācamana) and silence/attention.
- Kindle Agni and recite invocatory verses, acknowledging him as the hidden one to be ‘found’ and awakened.
- Offer ghee into the flame with homage (namaḥ), requesting Agni to yoke the powers and bear the oblation to the gods.
- Continue with additional oblations and requests for protection, right impulse, and unobstructed movement of the rite.
- Conclude with a final offering and a sealing prayer that Agni, born of ṛta, shine far and secure order and well-being.
Offerings
- Ghee (ājya)
- Kindling sticks (samidh)
- Grain/cakes in extended rites (optional)
- Soma-analogy praise (as mantra-content; not necessarily a Soma offering here)
Frequently Asked Questions
The hymn primarily praises Agni, the sacred fire, as the priest and messenger who carries offerings and prayers from humans to the gods.
It points to Agni’s secret presence—fire latent in wood and also the inner flame of insight—something that must be sought, awakened, and honored through right effort and ritual.
Kindle and honor the divine flame so it can gather your energies, carry your intention upward, and align your actions with ṛta (truth-order), moving forward without obstruction.
Ask anything about Sukta 65 of the Rig Veda
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